EP-A-0 839 455 discloses a device for removing the viscera from the carcass of a slaughtered bird and includes means for holding the carcass with its vent upward and means for gripping the gullet. The gripping means includes at least two jaw members that are movable towards each other to fixedly and positively clamp the gullet between them.
The device also applies a shield plate next to the jaw members to enhance the penetration of the evisceration tool into the body cavity of the bird without tissue entering too soon between the jaw members.
EP-A-0 497 014 discloses a method for eviscerating a poultry carcass and relates to an evisceration apparatus for eviscerating such a poultry carcass suspended by the legs. The apparatus includes an evisceration tool that is movable up and down, and into and out of a body cavity of the poultry. The evisceration tool includes two bracket halves that connect to each other with a hinge at a lower extremity of the tool. The two bracket halves are embodied with cooperating clamping faces adjacent to and above the hinge for clamping a part of the viscera of the poultry when the two bracket halves are moved towards each other from an open position into a closed position.
In the method of EP-A-0 497 014, the evisceration tool is introduced in its open position into the body cavity of the poultry until it reaches a lowermost position in the body cavity of the poultry; where-after the two bracket halves are moved towards each other from the open position into a closed position therewith breaking tissue connections of the viscera with the remainder of the poultry carcass so that eventually a part of the viscera of the poultry, notably the gullet, is clamped. After that the two bracket halves are moved in their closed position out of the body cavity of the poultry carcass together with the clamped viscera.